


Dance With Me

by Rogue_Darling



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Except its not, Flirting, Fluff, I guess???, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Mutual Pining, Romance, Royalty AU, Sharing a Bed, Strangers to Lovers, because no one can stop me, but its in a castle mostly, forgive me im new at this, i spose i should mention i'll be adding tags as the story goes on, idk its an AU okay??, im bad at tagging, just so ya know, no beta we die like men, so castle au i guess?, yay its a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:22:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28273047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogue_Darling/pseuds/Rogue_Darling
Summary: Sykkuno is a castle guard. He keeps running into the same intruder. Will romance ensue? Almost certainly, read the tags for goodness sake.
Relationships: Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 44
Kudos: 330





	1. Featuring an Alarmingly Shirtless Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I'm pretty new at writing things for the public eye, so please be nice to me. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also! I am merely shipping internet personas, and if either of them express discomfort I will remove this fic.

It was dark, and Sykkuno was on guard. His shift was midnight til dawn at the east wall of the castle. Most nights, he patrolled up and down, trying to suppress his yawns. Something was different tonight though. The air was crisp, and something just seemed off, and it set him on edge. He arrived at the end of his jurisdiction, so to speak, and turned to go back towards the other end of the castle, when he heard a whoosh behind him.

He turned quickly, just in time to see the edge of a cape fly off the end of the wall, blocking the castle courtyards.

“Hey!” Sykkuno exclaimed, “Stop right there!” He leaned over the edge of the wall, peering into the darkness. He could just barely make out a dark shape moving rapidly across the courtyard towards the servant’s quarters. 

Sykkuno rushed to the alarm bells. He rang it frantically, alerting all the guards in the area that there was a threat; an intruder. Then, he descended, heading in the same direction the cloaked figure had. 

Sykkuno rushed into the servants quarters, glancing around. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the edge of an unfamiliar cloak slipping around a corner and up a staircase, towards the laundry room. He rushed towards the room, bumping into a ladies' maid in his haste.

“Sorry!” he exclaimed, still running, as she glared at him.

When he entered the laundry room the sight that met him was a shocking one: a tall, striking, young man with dark curly hair who was alarmingly shirtless. Sykkuno stood staring and blinking for a moment in shock. The stranger, cloak discarded, stared right back. 

“Who are you?” Sykkuno demanded, shaking himself out of his daze. The young man stared, apparently frozen.

“I said, who are you?” 

“I-um-I’m-” The stranger stutterd. Sykkuno blinked again at this, because the stranger’s voice was incredibly deep, the deepest he had ever heard. 

“Sir,” Sykkuno tried again, “You simply can’t be here. This is the home of royalty, and we do not tolerate unexpected visitors, much less ones who sneak in.”

“Yes. Right. I guess, um, I’ll be going then?” and with that, the man grabbed a servant’s uniform and launched himself out of the laundry room window, dropped a story, and rushed again towards the gate. Sykkuno blinked in disbelief.

“Wait!” He shouted out the window. In response, the stranger paused, turned, and by the faint light of the castle's windows, Sykkuno could see him wink, and then disappear into the darkness. In his wake, Sykkuno could swear he heard him laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I'll try to post ~fairly~ frequently.
> 
> Also this first chapter is short and pretty exposition-y but I plan on making longer chapters in the future (:
> 
> Much love,
> 
> ~rogue


	2. Featuring a King, a Captain, and a Corpse

“Sykkuno, you understand this is unacceptable, correct?”

“Yes your majesty, it will never happen again. I will be faster next time.”

“You had better be.” the king glared down at him, “You're lucky I am short on guards, or you would never see the inside of this castle again.”

Sykkuno bit his tongue, thinking 'if only the king had more guards, maybe the intruder wouldn’t have escaped.' 

“Yes your majesty.” He replied instead.

“Good, then you are dismissed.”

Sykkuno exited the throne room, head hanging. He was mortified. The one night he had an actual job to do, and he failed. He failed himself, and his king. This was a new low. Sure, Sykkuno had embarrassed himself before, he had no shortage of embarrassing run-ins with kitchen staff and fellow guards, but this was entirely different. This was the king. His face flushed with frustration towards the intruder. Why did he have to be shirtless? It had caught Sykkuno off guard (no pun intended) and let him escape. Maybe that was the point.

Sykkuno begrudgingly reported to the Captain of the Guard following his meeting with the king, bracing himself for another scolding.

Instead: “Sykkuno, how did this happen?” Captain Rachel asked him solemnly.

“Rae, I am so sorry. I’m mortified. I wasn’t fast enough, and he was shirtless, and he scaled a wall-”

“I’m sorry, did you say he was shirtless?”

“...Yes. He took a servant’s uniform, I think he was planning on changing.”

“If he took a uniform, then it sounds like he’s not done here. Chances are, he’ll come back.”

“That’s what I think too,” Sykkuno admitted.

“I’ll be honest Sy,” Rae began, “I admire your effort to catch this guy. But His Highness demanded I punish you, so I am assigning you to the east wall every night for the rest of the month, midnight til dawn.” 

“I understand. Thank you Captain.” He smiled up at his friend, knowing that their closeness was responsible for the meager punishment. 

“During your shift, keep a close eye out for this guy, okay? I don’t want you to lose your job, and I certainly don’t want to lose mine either.”

“I gotcha Rae,” Sykkuno said, and turned to exit the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At midnight, Sykkuno started his shift, pacing back and forth. Past the bell, to the end of the wall, turn, past the bell again, to the opposite end, turn, and so on. He was on edge tonight, watching for the stranger. It was just past 2 in the morning, when he passed the bell heading south, and he heard a familiar woosh behind him. 

“Stop!” He said, whipping around to face the stranger.

“Quiet, or you’ll wake the whole castle.” The stranger replied, his voice just as quiet and deep as the evening prior. He was standing between Sykkuno and the bell, leaving Sykkuno practically useless.

“I see you’ve decided to come fully clothed this time.” Sykkuno commented, noting the stranger’s outfit: the very same cloak he had been adorned with the night before, preceding the shirtless part. “What are you doing here?”

“Most nights? Searching. Tonight however, I came to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“I realized my, for lack of a better word, shenanigans last night could have cost you your job. That was never my intent. You are not equipped to stop me, but it isn’t your fault.”

“Oh. Well, um. I must admit I’m a bit taken aback. But thank you for your apology, I suppose.”

“You’re welcome, Sykkuno.”

“Hold on now, how do you know my name?” Sykkuno exclaimed, alarmed.

“I know a great deal of things regarding the inner workings of this castle. A guard’s name is nothing.” At this, Sykkuno looked up at the man, trying to see his face. Recognizing this, the stranger turned his head slightly, and pulled his hood further down his face.

“Sorry,” he said with a laugh, “you’ve already seen too much.”

“Well I should certainly think so!” exclaimed Sykkuno, flushing slightly at the memory of the laundry room incident. 

“Well I suppose I should be off.”

“Not into the courtyards, I should hope, because I will have to report you then, and we will both be in trouble.”

“No, not tonight,” the stranger smiled, and made his way toward the edge of the wall.

“Wait,” Sykkuno said, surprising himself, “you know my name, will you tell me yours?”

“So long as you don’t rat me out.”

“I won’t, I promise. I would get in trouble for not arresting you.”

“Then you can call me Corpse.” And with that, he jumped over the side of the wall, and disappeared into the dark.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“He was right there Rae, in his cloak, apologizing!” Sykkuno was sitting with Rae in the guards barracks, still in disbelief from the night before.

“He was there and you didn’t catch him?” Rae exclaimed, also in disbelief

“Well...I mean...oh jesus...Um, I didn’t think about that when I decided to tell you about it.”

“I suppose it’s okay Sy, I mean, you must have been shocked, but this cannot happen again.”

“You aren’t going to tell the king, right? Because I promised Cor-um-i mean-him that I wouldn’t rat him out.”

“No, I won’t, but it seems bold of you to make a promise to someone who’s name you don't even know. Unless you do…” Rae prompted

Sykkuno winced. Despite the fact that Corpse was an obvious enemy to the throne, given the sneaking into the castle and such, Sykkuno still felt like protecting him. It was a strange dichotomy, on one hand he broke into the castle, but on the other, he came and personally apologized to Sykkuno. Who was confused. To say the least. 

“Uh, nope! Don’t know his name. I guess that is kinda weird though,” he laughed, covering his mouth as he did. Rae gave him a raised eyebrow, but backed off, dropping it. 

“Well, I have the night shift tonight, and so do you, so we should probably both hit the hay, so to speak” Rae suggested.

“Yeah,” Sykkuno sighed “I guess I’ll see you at dinner Rae.”

With that, both headed separate ways toward their rooms. When Sykkuno lay down in bed, he tossed and turned. He had never been good at falling asleep, much less during the day with the sun shining through his window. When he did eventually fall asleep, however, a certain shirtless intruder leapt through his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Almost Christmas lovelies! If you celebrate it that is. And if not, merry Thursday I guess!  
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I decided to post today because I thought the first chapter was a lil short.
> 
> Much love and festive vibes  
> ~Rogue


	3. Featuring Broom Closets, Calla Lilies, and a Lost Lesbian Princess.

Sykkuno awoke to Rae shaking him.

“Sy! It’s almost dinner time! Hurry!” He blinked at her a few times, and went to sit up. By the time he made it to a standing position, Rae was long gone, headed to the kitchen no doubt. Sykkuno stood for a moment, trying to wake up, when suddenly his dream came flooding back. Corpse. He flushed, remembering, and covered his face with his hands. Oh poop.

Sykkuno made his way to the kitchen, pondering his shift tonight. Would Corpse be back? Then, he pondered why he was wondering that in the first place. It wasn’t like he wanted to see Corpse. He was an intruder and a threat to Sykkuno’s position in the Guard. 

Lost in thought, Sykkuno bumped into someone, rather forcefully. Said someone was wearing a suspiciously small servant’s uniform, and an eye patch.

“Oh jesus, i'm so sorry are you oka- Corpse?!” Sykkuno starred in bewilderment. How on earth was Corpse in the castle?

“Um. Sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone else.” At this Sykkuno rolled his eyes.

“Corpse, you have a very distinct voice. I know it’s you. The eyepatch isn’t doing much.”

“Ah. Well.”

Both men stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what the next move was. Sykkuno began to talk, when he was cut off.

“Sykkuno! Where are you?” They heard Rae calling in the distance.

“Oh poop!” Sykkuno exclaimed. “She cannot see you here! She will arrest you for sure.” And without much thought, Sykkuno pulled Corpse into a neighboring broom closet. And suddenly the two were chest to chest. Sykkuno blushed, regretting his choice of the impossibly tiny broom closet. 

“You’re cute when you’re flustered” Corpse’s deep voice came out of the darkness above Sykkuno.

“Shh! She’ll hear us!” Sykkuno whispered back, blushing even more. As they stood there, Sykkuno realized he had his hands pressed to Corpse’s chest, obviously an initial attempt to keep some space between the two of them, but now his hands just lingered there, and he couldn’t decide if it was more awkward to leave them, or take them away. Fortunately for him, Corpse made the decision for him. The stranger took hold of his wrists, and brought them to his sides, more gently than Sykkuno could believe from such an intimidating person.

“So how long do you intend to keep us here?” Corpse asked, somewhat teasingly

“Well, uh, I can’t hear Rae anymore, so maybe I can sneak you out of the castle.”

“And why exactly are you helping me again?” At this Sykkuno paused. He wasn’t sure. Rationally, he knew Corpse posed a threat, both to his job and to the kingdom. And Corpse was practically a perfect stranger. But there was something about the way Corpse acted, gently and apologetically, that made Sykkuno trust him.

“I'm not sure, to be frank, but I trust you.”

“So you’re not going to rat me out.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“No, I made you a promise. But I am going to need some more of an explanation”

“Understandable.” Corpse said gravely, “But now is not the time for that. I’ll visit you tonight and we can talk. Maybe I’ll even bring you flowers.” At this Sykkuno became even more flustered, which he didn’t realize was possible.

“Well! Um, right! That would be very nice of you,” he exclaimed, a little too loudly, pushing past Corpse’s arm to open the closet door. Both men exited the closet. [Author’s note: at this line, I was repeating to myself ‘don’t make the joke, don’t make the joke.’]

“Uh, good evening then Corpse, maybe I’ll see you later?”

“You betcha” The taller man smiled, and with that, the two men went their separate ways. Sykkuno could only hope that Corpse was leaving the castle. He certainly didn’t want him in trouble. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The following early morning, Sykkuno, on his shift at the east wall, waited patiently for Corpse to arrive, fairly certain he would. The man did say he would be there. Around 5:30 am, he heard a familiar woosh, and turned to see a cloak-wearing Corpse standing behind him. The items in his hand caught him off guard though: Corpse was holding a small bouquet of calla lilies. 

“Oh! Hi Corpse” Sykkuno tried to keep from staring at the flowers

“Hi Sykkuno. I brought you flowers, like I said I would” he handed the lilies to Sykkuno. It was everything Sykkuno could do not to put one behind his own ear.

“That’s. Um. Very sweet of you!” 

“It's the least I could do, after all, you did keep me from being discovered.”

“Yes, but you said you would make that up to me with an explanation.”

“And I still will.”

“First though, this morning you were wearing an eyepatch. Usually you’re wearing a hood, laundry room aside of course,” Sykkuno giggled slightly at the memory, “And tonight you’re wearing a mask. What’s that all about?”

“I’m sneaking into a castle Sykkuno, a disguise seems rather pertinent, wouldn’t you think? But also, I don’t love the way I look, so I try to spare others the burden of my face.”

“I don’t think it's a burden! Uh, I mean, uhm. I think you’re very handsome Corpse.” 

“Thank you Sykkuno, you’re too kind.”

“So about that explanation” Sykkuno coughed, changing the subject.

“Right. Well there’s no way I can tell you the whole story in the hour left in your shift, but I can start. When I was young, my mother used to work in this castle. And I was best friends with the king’s daughter.” At this, Sykkuno's brow furrowed.

“But the king doesn’t have any children. He and his wife are rather infamous for their lack of heirs.”

“Exactly. But they used to have a daughter. She was sweet, and funny, and the only person in the castle who was nice to me. Aside from my mother of course. And much to the King’s displeasure, his daughter was a bit rebellious, befriending servants, sneaking out, and so on.” As he continued the story, Corpse sat on the edge of the wall. Sykkuno was a bit worried about him falling, but leaned against the wall himself.

“The last straw for the king was when his daughter professed her love for another woman.” Sykkuno’s eyes widened at this. He himself had had crushes on men in the past, but never told anyone, knowing he would lose all his friends. But Corpse? Corpse mentioned this so casually, as if it didn’t bother him in the slightest.

“And that. Um. That didn’t bother you?” The taller man studied Sykkuno’s face.  
“Not at all. Does it bother you?”

“Um. Nope?” It came out more of a question than an answer. But suddenly, Sykkuno had someone in his life who might accept him no matter what. He couldn’t fuck this up.

“Right.” Corpse sounded unconvinced, but continued. “The day the king found out, the princess disappeared. That was 10 years ago. I couldn’t do anything about it then, but as soon as I had the resources and training, I entered the castle and began searching. My attempts so far have been fruitless, because there’s only so far I can sneak in. But nonetheless I am determined to find her.”

Sykkuno pondered this information for a minute.

“I have access to most of the castle, and friends who would help me get to places I don’t.”

“That does tend to be the case for people who work in a castle.”

“Oh, um yeah. But what I meant was, I could help you find the princess.”

“I can’t ask you to do that. You could lose your job.”

“To be honest, Corpse, I’d rather do what’s right than keep my job here. I’ve never approved of the king anyway. And you deserve to have your friend back.”

Sykkuno was about to continue, when suddenly there was a noise from the far end of the wall.

“I have to go.” Corpse said hurriedly, “I'll be back tomorrow, we can discuss this more.” And with that, he leapt over the wall again, disappearing into the nearby forest. Sykkuno turned, and saw Rae walking towards him,

“What's with the flowers Sy? Are you planning on giving them to someone? A certain ladies maid perhaps?” She wiggled her eyebrows at this. Sykkuno suppressed a sigh. Rae was convinced he fancied a ladies maid named Anne. 

“Um, something like that.”

“Well, anyway, your shift is over and I’m taking your place. I figure you could use some sleep.”

“Oh that’s kind of you.” With that, Sykkuno retired to his quarters.

Right before he went to bed, he got a small glass from the kitchen, and filled it with water. He placed it on his bedside table, and put the calla lilies inside the vase. Then, he stared at them until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact! Calla lilies are my favorite flower. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed another chapter, and I hope you had the merriest christmas, if you celebrate it.
> 
> Right now, I'm on winter break, so I am able to update daily, but goodness only knows how long that will last. So if the updates get a little more spread out, apologies in advance!
> 
> Much love and holiday cheer,  
> ~Rogue


	4. Featuring Mysterious Bedrooms and Awkward Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: This chapter has very brief implications that it is an abomination to be gay. I firmly believe this is NOT true, and am a part of the LGBTQ+ community myself (I’m pan! (: ). But since this story was set in castle-y medeival-y times, I included it. If this triggers you, there is are asterix around the sentence where it is mentioned. Please be safe and know you are loved! <3

TW: This chapter has very brief implications that it is an abomination to be gay. I firmly believe this is NOT true, and am a part of the LGBTQ+ community myself (I’m pan! (: ). But since this story was set in castle-y medeival-y times, I included it. If this triggers you, there is are asterix around the sentence where it is mentioned. Please be safe and know you are loved! <3

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So no mysterious stranger sightings last night Rae?” Sykkuno asked not-so-surreptitiously, wondering if Corpse had returned to the castle after Sykkuno left.

“Sadly no, I would have loved to get an arrest. Being the captain of the guard has its perks, but I never get to participate in the action anymore.”

“Sorry to hear it.” Sykkuno smiled to himself. It was early afternoon, and this evening he planned to explore the castle some, and see what he could find regarding the lost princess.

A little while later, Rae had to leave to go talk with the king, and Sykkuno made his escape. He wandered through the servants floor first, looking for secrets. Unfortunately all he found was Anne the ladies’ maid making out with a guard in the very same broom closet he had been trapped with Corpse in the night prior. The coincidence of it all made him blush, although he didn’t know why.

The next logical place, he thought, would be the dungeons. Rationally he knew the castle had dungeons, but he realized, despite being a guard, he had no idea where they were. He decided to ask Rae tomorrow, and in the meantime make his way into the east wing of the castle. 

The east wing was rather secluded, sporting a library, and a few closed doors, but not much else. No one ever came here, it seemed. Sykkuno, perhaps unwisely, decided to start opening doors. In the first room, right next to the library, there was just spare furniture that appeared to have no use. In the second, what appeared to be a small ballroom, possibly for dance lessons, with a gorgeous grand piano in the corner.

The room farthest from the library, however, had a much more sinister feel. Sykkuno opened the door to find the room of a child. The room was pink, and all around it were toys, and dolls, lined up and organized. The bed was made and tucked neatly. There was also a vanity with a box of makeup, which seemed fairly out of place in a child’s room. The most sinister part, however, was the layer of dust coating everything in the room. It seemed like this room had been left, untouched, for several years. 

Sykkuno left in a hurry. The room gave him chills. And, he figured there was a good chance he’d be back later, with a certain eye-patched man by his side.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I think I found the princess’s old room.” Sykkuno was on his shift at the wall, talking with Corpse, “It’s in the east wing of the castle, by the library. But it’s very strange, it’s set up as a young child’s room.”

Corpse frowned at this. “I know the room. That was the princess room when she was a little girl. She moved to the west wing with her parents when she got older, because they no longer had a nanny to watch her, and so she couldn’t be in her old wing.”

“So why do they still have the room? It’s like a weird shrine Corpse, it gives me the heebie jeebies.”

“I think it might be exactly that. They dismantled her old room soon after they vanished. Maybe the king kept the east room as a memory of the daughter he wanted.”

Sykkuno paused for a minute. “Corpse?”

“Yes?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course Sy.” Sykkuno blushed furiously at this, but turned his head slightly, in hopes of hiding it from Corpse.

“You’re cute when you’re flustered, Sy” Corpse said, again emphasizing Sykkuno’s nickname. “Your question?”

“Oh, um, yeah. It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, I understand and want to protect your and her privacy, but um. What is the princess’s name?”

“Her name is Trinity.” He smiled faintly at this, and Sykkuno could see it beneath his hood.

“Did you love her?” Sykkuno surprised both Corpse and himself with the question.

“No. I’m rather partial to men myself. Maybe that’s why Trinity and I got along. ***We’re both abominations, so to speak.*** Does that make you uncomfortable?”

“Um. No! Of course not Corpse. You’re my friend, you could never make me uncomfortable. Or well, I hope we’re friends! If you’re not comfortable with that then that’s fine too-”

At that, Corpse cut him off. “Of course we are friends Sy.”

“Can I tell you something Corpse?”

“Always.”

“I think I might be partial to men too.” Oh. Sykkuno didn’t quite mean to say that except that he did. He was almost glad to have it off his chest.

“I think you and Trinity would be friends. You remind me a lot of her.” Corpse smiled down at him, and Sykkuno felt the blood rush to his cheeks again. 

Suddenly, Sykkuno realized the time. It was almost dawn, and he had been slacking on patrolling for the past hour and a half to be with Corpse.

“Um, Corpse? As much as I wish I could keep talking, my shift is almost over, and I should probably at least look like I’m working when the next person comes to change shifts.”

“Right. Sorry for distracting you, I really like talking to you.” Corpse admitted.

“Aw, you are always welcome to distract me, I really enjoy it! Oh wait- I didn’t mean for that to sound like- um, what I mean is, I just, um, enjoy your company.” Sykkuno could have kicked himself. Much to his surprise, Corpse laughed. When he did, his head fell back, losing the hood.

“You’re funny Sykkuno. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Corpse winked at the shorter man with his un-eye-patched eye, and leapt over the edge of the wall, leaving Sykkuno to stew in the embarrassment he had made of himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you couldn't tell, I live for blushing Sykkuno.
> 
> Also, I noticed I write 'at that point' and 'and with that' a lot. I hope you don't mind, I guess it's kind of a writing quirk.
> 
> Anyway.
> 
> Much love and hugs (or if you don't like hugs, shoulder pats),  
> ~Rogue


	5. Featuring Mysterious Dungeons, Mysterious Scrapes, and a Single Bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: This chapter briefly references beheading as punishment, but in no detail at all, just in passing. It also has mentions of blood, but nothing serious, don'tcha worry. I promise this whole story will end happily :)

“Rae?”

“Yes Sy?”

“Does this castle have dungeons?”

“Sykkuno, it’s a castle. Of course it has dungeons.”’

“Okaaay, but have you ever been to the dungeons?”

“Well now that you mention it, no.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit odd? Given that you’re the captain of the guard and all?”

“I guess so, I hadn’t really thought about it. Maybe the king just doesn’t use the dungeons, although I recall making arrests before, and I’m certain they didn’t all end in beheadings.”

“Do you even know where the dungeons are?”

“Well of course I know that. They’re at the far end of the south-west wing.”

“But you’ve never seen the actual dungeons yourself.”

“I guess I just never had any reason to.”

After Rae left, Sykkuno pondered this for a while. There were dungeons in the castle. Sure. But even the captain of the guards hadn’t been to see them. This was certainly peculiar. Maybe that’s where Trinity was being kept.

After lunch, Sykkuno quietly meandered toward the south-west wing. He wandered through hallways, trying to be inconspicuous. When he finally arrived at the end of the wing, he saw a man guarding a door.

“Hello Jack”

“Oh hey Sykkuno”

“Is that the dungeons?”

“Indeed it is. Why do you ask?”

“I just realized today I’ve never seen the inside of the dungeons, and I didn’t even know where they were. I figured since I’ve been a guard here for almost a year now I should try to start getting acquainted with the castle a bit more than I am.”

“Well I’d offer to show you around, but I have strict orders from the king himself not to let anyone into the dungeons. Plus, I’ve never been down there myself.”

“Oh well, thanks anyway Jack.” And Sykkuno turned and headed back to the barracks. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On his shift the following morning, nothing happened. He thought this was odd, considering Corpse had visited him every night since they’d met. Then he almost laughed at himself. Any other guard would wish for an uneventful night. But here Sykkuno was, wishing to see Corpse, despite the chaos that could come from it.

Finally, as the sun began to rise, Sykkuno heard the telltale noises of Corpse scaling the wall. He looked over the edge to see a thoroughly disgruntled Corpse. When he reached the top, Sykkuno immediately noticed the scratches all over his face and arms.

“Corpse! Are you okay?”

“Of course. I’m sorry I’m late. I ran into…trouble. On my way here.”

“No, I meant, well, you’re covered in scratches!” Sykkuno reached for the taller man’s face, wiping some blood that was dripping down Corpse’s cheek. He noticed as he did, Corpse turned slightly pink, but decided not to mention it. He wasn’t sure Corpse was all that comfortable with physical contact. That must be it.

“Well, my shift is almost over,” Sykkuno said, concerned, “So I’m taking you inside now. Put your hood up. I’ll take you to my bedroom and clean you up.” he flinched slightly at his own word choice, but led Corpse down off the wall.

The two men moved surreptitiously through the barracks, but since it was barely dawn, there was no one to run into.

As they reached Sykkuno’s quarters, he realized it was perhaps a bad idea to leave the east wall unattended. But that was the least of his worries. All of a sudden, the two men heard footsteps coming down the hall.

“Quick!” Sykkuno whispered, pushing Corpse into his room, and shutting the door.  
“Oh hey Sy,” Rae said, as she walked up to him, “What are you doing off the wall? I haven’t relieved you of your post.” 

“Oh, umm, I have a headache, and it was almost dawn, so I was just hoping I could find you. And here you are!” 

“Right. Okay. Then why don’t you go lie down. I’ll go to the east wall. But Sykkuno, you can't just neglect your post.”

“I know Rae, I’m sorry.” With that, Rae left him, and as soon as she was out of sight, Sykkuno slipped into his room. There, he saw Corpse, sitting on his bed, looking at the calla lilies in the glass by his bedside. 

“You kept them,” he said softly

“Of course I did. They were a gift.” From you, he thought. “Now let me get you cleaned up.” Sykkuno took a handkerchief off his dresser, and a glass of water he had fetched on their way to his quarters. Then he sat down facing Corpse on the bed.

Corpse closed his eyes as Sykkuno dipped the kerchief in water, and ran it across the many cuts on Corpse’s face and arms, cleaning them gently. It occured briefly to Sykkuno that maybe this was crossing some unspoken boundary, but he cared too much to leave his friend bleeding.

“How did you get all these scratches?” he asked softly

Corpse, with his eyes still closed replied “I was running from. Uh, something. And I ran into a thorn bush.” Sykkuno didn’t press him, but secretly wondered what he could have possibly been running from. He wished he could have been there to protect him.

After what seemed like forever, but also an instant, Sykkuno finished cleaning Corpse’s wounds. 

“We should get going to the east wing,” Corpse said, suppressing a yawn.

“Not so fast Corpsie,” They both blushed at the nickname that had come out of nowhere, “You are clearly exhausted. So you need to rest, and goodness knows I do too. So you’re going to lay down and take a nap, and in about four hours everyone will be going to church, and we’ll easily be able to visit the east wing.”

“Right. Okay. But where are you going to sleep?”

“Oh, I've got some extra blankets, I’ll just sleep on the floor.”

“No. I can’t allow that. This is your room, after all.”

“But you’re my guest!”

“Then we’ll share the bed.” They stared at each other for a moment, both frozen.

“I mean, I guess it is big enough,” Sykkuno admitted, blushing furiously.

And so, both men lay down, back to back. It usually took forever for Sykkuno to fall asleep, but with the warmth from Corpse radiating next to him, he fell asleep almost immediately, worries and embarrassment slipping away into dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evenin' Lovelies!
> 
> So I did a thing. You're welcome I guess? All I'll say is that the next chapter is gonna be a lil bit tooth rotting. I'm excited to finish writing it ;)
> 
> Much love and blushing emojis
> 
> ~Rogue


	6. Featuring ~The Title of the Whole Story~ ooooooohhhhhh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for this chapter title. That's all I have to say.

When Sykkuno woke up, he was wrapped in a pair of long arms, face pushed up against a chest. With a start, he realized the arms and chest were Corpse. And wasn’t that something. Corpse was warm, with tiny dark curls falling into his eyes. He looked impossibly peaceful, and at rest, which seemed impossible for him. Sykkuno was blushing again.

As he lay there, Sykkuno thought he could stay like this forever. And as soon as he thought it, it was over. Corpse woke with a start, and sat up, spewing embarrassed apologies.

“Corpse, calm down, it’s totally fine. We both needed sleep” Sykkuno laughed sheepishly, covering his face with his hand.

“Right. Well. Um. I don't really know what to say now” Corpse admitted. Sykkuno felt rather the same way.

“Well for now, it’s almost ten, so everyone is likely at church. So we can probably sneak into the east wing without getting caught.” [please operate under the assumption that Sykkuno has a clock on his bedside table. I googled it and clocks have been around since like. The 14th century. So they probably would clocks in this story. Idk about servants and guards, but suspend your disbelief I guess.]

“You aren’t a church goer?”

“Are you surprised?”

“I guess not. Heathen,” Corpse joked. Sykkuno smiled back at him.

“Well let's get to it then.” Both men moved for the door, and due to the tight quarters bumped into each other a bit. As if the morning could get more awkward. As they walked, Sykkuno reflected on how it felt to wake up in Corpse’s arms. Pretty darn good, he thought.

“What are you thinking about smilekkuno?” Sykkuno chucked a bit at the nickname, again bringing his hand up to your mouth

“Nothing much. Just glad to be hanging out with my good friend Corpse!” he exclaimed cheerily, hoping his slight blush wasn’t obvious.

“Why do you cover your smile when you laugh? It looks so pretty when you don’t realize you’re smiling.” Sykkuno turned bright red at this, and turned away from Corpse as they walked, internally screaming.

“Well, uh, thank you. That's very kind of you to say. You’re very pretty too-Uh wait! I mean handsome? Well, uh, anyway. My teeth are a little crooked, and I don’t love my smile. I guess that’s why.”

“You are too precious Sy.” Corpse was looking down at the shorter man fondly, but Sykkuno wouldn’t know it, he was too busy blushing, and pretending to study the wall.

When they arrived at the east wing Corpse stopped short. 

“It looks just like I remember.” He said quietly. Sykkuno, not wanting to disturb his nostalgia, grabbed his hand, and gently led him to Trinity’s old room. 

The room looked unchanged from when he had visited previously, but it obviously held much more meaning to Corpse, who clutched Sykkuno’s hand, and looked. Well. Sykkuno couldn’t quite place what emotion he thought Corpse was feeling. He thought it might be loss. 

“Do you see anything that might, um, tell us something?” He asked, shaking Corpse from his thoughts. The taller man looked around the room. 

“I guess there’s no harm looking a little closer,” Sykkuno suggested, considering Corpse’s lack of response a no.

The taller man stood there staring at the bed, where a number of dolls and stuffed animals sat, all in a line, gathering dust. As Sykkuno moved to the vanity, Corpse moved to the bed, and picked up a small, pink and green bunny. 

“This was her favorite,” He said softly, “When we were little she would carry it everywhere with her.” Sykkuno noticed tears falling down his face. Without thinking, he went over and wrapped his arms around the curly-haired man, and looked up at him.

“I can’t imagine what this must be like for you. Do you want to go to another room for a little while? There’s an empty studio next door, you can, um. Calm down, and then we can come back.”

“That sounds nice. Thank you Sykkuno, you’re always so thoughtful.”

Sykkuno led Corpse to the empty studio, and sat him down on the piano bench, letting himself sit next to him. He watched in surprise as Corpse started to play, soft, sad music.

“I didn’t know you played.”

“It’s been years. Trinity taught me. Right here, in fact.” To Sykkuno’s surprise, Corpse smiled at this. 

Suddenly, there was a loud noise behind him. He leapt to his feet, and whipped around, but it was just the door to the room closing. He turned to find Corpse standing close behind him.

“Would it kill you to relax?” The taller man whispered in his ear.

“It could, and probably you too if we were caught here together.”

“I’ll risk it,” Corpse smiled. “Dance with me.” And with that, he grabbed Sykkuno’s hands. He placed one on his own shoulder, and gripped the other, placing his hand on Sykkuno’s waist. Sykkuno, blushing furiously exclaimed “But there’s no music!”

“I don’t care. I want to dance with you. If that’s okay?”

Sykkuno couldn’t meet Corpse’s eyes. “It’s definitely okay.” And so the two men danced together, spinning around the room, laughing and tripping over each other’s feet, but basking in each other’s presence. Neither had felt that happy in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lil shorter, but I kind of thought that the ending was too perfect. So I promise more excitement in the next chapter, lol. This one was just for fluff ;)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you're having a good day!
> 
> Much love and shoulder pats,  
> ~Rogue


	7. Featuring a SECRET TUNNELLLLLLL

After dancing for a while, both men decided it was time to go back into Trinity’s bedroom. Church would be letting out soon, after all. They walked back into the room hand in hand, much to Sykkuno’s surprise and joy.

Standing in the doorway, Corpse suddenly dropped his hand.

“I just remembered. We used to leave each other letters stuck behind the vanity. It’s been so long I forgot.” He said sadly

“Well let’s look there then!” Sykkuno encouraged

And so, working together, they pushed the vanity slightly away from the wall. As they did, a paper and a sketch fell onto the dusty floor. Corpse picked them up. The drawing was of a young boy and girl standing in a garden. The boy was peeking around the girl’s shoulder, and giving her bunny ears. The girl was missing both front teeth.

“This is me and her.” Corpse smiled sadly, showing Sykkuno the sketch. “We had the castle artist draw this of us. She must have kept it here, hidden from her father.” 

“You both were so cute. Wait! Not that you aren’t still cute! Because you are! I mean-” Sykkuno broke off, embarrassed.

“Thank you Sy.” Corpse chuckled. “Let’s see what this letter says.”

Dear Corpse,  
As I mentioned I might, last night I told my father about Louisa, and that her and I are in love. As predicted, it did not go over well. Now, my father is threatening to send me away or lock me up. I do not know where he will take me, but I fear I won’t be able to see you again. So I’ll leave this letter here, hoping you’ll find it, and the drawing of us. I hope you don’t forget me. Maybe we will meet again someday. Until then, follow your heart.  
Love, Trinity

Sykkuno listened to Corpse read the letter, and watched the silent tears drip down his face. He wanted to wipe the tears away and replace them with soft kisses. Wait. Since when had he wanted to kiss Corpse? 

Sykkuno shook his head. This was an issue for another day. For the moment, he stood quietly next to Corpse, rubbing his back.

“We’ll find her Corpse.”

“But what if we don’t?”

“We will. I promise you. And I don’t want to rush you, but church will be letting out soon, so we should probably get going.”

Just as he said it, he heard footsteps outside. Both men froze.

“Fuck.” Corpse whispered. Sykkuno could have laughed at the timing, if the situation weren’t so dire.

“Wait.” Corpse’s face shifted. “There's a tunnel. In the closet. It leads out of the castle. We can get out that way.”  
Corpse pulled Sykkuno towards the closet. Just as the door swung shut behind them, they heard the telltale creak of the bedroom door opening. Quickly, they slipped through a trapdoor in the floor of the closet, climbing down a rather rickety ladder.  
Sykkuno blinked, eyes adjusting to the light as Corpse closed the hatch above them. He noticed Corpse switched his eye-patch to the other eye, allowing him a sort of night vision.

“How did you know about this tunnel?” Sykkuno whispered. 

“Trinity and I would sometimes sneak out this way. It leads to a pond where we would have picnics, and we built a tree house there when we were kids.”

“Show me?”

Quietly, Corpse took his hand and led him down the dark tunnel. Sykkuno imagined it must have once been used to hide people in case of an attack on the castle, but had been long forgotten.   
After what felt like an eternity of walking, Sykkuno saw a light at the end of the tunnel. [Author’s note: no not that kind, calm down.] As they drew closer, he saw that the light was dappled, shining through evergreens and reflecting off a little pond. 

The area was overgrown, evidently from years of neglect. Across the pond, Sykkuno could see a small treehouse.

“This was our favorite place,” Corpse said, dropping Sykkuno’s hand.

“I’m sorry we haven’t found her yet.”

“The letter said the king was planning on locking her up. Maybe she’s in the dungeons?”

“That would explain why no one is allowed down there, not even the guards.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Oh. I meant to tell you. I tried to look in the dungeons. My friend Jack was guarding the doors. He said that no one was allowed down there, by the king’s orders.” Corpse blinked at him for a moment. 

“I-uh. um. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Sykkuno stuttered, feeling intimidated under Corpse’s silent stare.

“That must be where she is.” Corpse said, turning. He didn’t acknowledge Sykkuno’s apology whatsoever, which had Sykkuno worried.

“We need to make a plan,” the taller man said, looking back at Sykkuno. All of a sudden, he seemed to realize that Sykkuno was worrying.

“Oh Sy, I’m sorry. I just got focused. I’m not mad at you, we were busy. We were dancing for fucks sake.”

“Still, I should have told you.”

“And you did. That’s what counts.”

“Can I. um. Can I hug you?” 

“Always.” Corpse said, pulling him into his arms.   
Sykkuno could have stayed there forever. Corpse was warm despite the chilly fall air, and he smelled faintly of pine and lilies. Slowly, Sykkuno looked up at Corpse, meeting his uncovered eye. 

“I’m glad we’re friends, Corpse.”

“I am too Sy.”

And with that, Corpse took his hand, and led him back toward the castle. 

“Don’t worry Sy, I’m gonna get you home. We can talk about finding the dungeons tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovelies!
> 
> I am so sorry I didn't update yesterday. I go back to school on the 4th and all my schoolwork caught up to me yesterday, and I didn't have time to finish this chapter.
> 
> Anyway, the chapter title is a reference to that one song from Avatar the Last Airbender, which I have not seen, but I love the song, which is kind of funny.
> 
> Much love and secret tunnels,  
> ~Rogue


	8. Featuring an Unexpected Trip to the Dungeons

Everything seemed okay for a while. The two walked in silence, enjoying each other’s company and the quiet sounds of the autumn forest. 

Everything seemed quiet, until they reached the wall of the castle and turned a corner. There, they were met with a whole squadron of guards, simply waiting.

“Fuck.” Corpse said. “Fuck. we forgot to move the vanity back.” Sykkuno looked up at him and saw that Corpse looked genuinely scared. 

“It’ll be okay, Corpse. Whatever happens, we’re in this together.” Sykkuno squeezed the other’s hand, hoping he didn’t let his own fear seep into his voice. 

The guards had evidently spotted them, and were calling out to them, quickly approaching.

“Put your hands in the air!” One of them called. Both men obeyed, letting go of each other’s hands. The guards took them by the wrists and put them in handcuffs, half dragging them towards the castle.

Once they entered the castle, Sykkuno realized they were being brought to the throne room. He glanced at Corpse, but the man’s face was unreadable. 

In the courtroom, they stood in front of the king. 

“What do you want from us?” Corpse asked gruffly.

“You sir, are a thief, and my guard committed treason by helping you break into the castle. You are merely here as a courtesy. You will be locked in the dungeons until I decide on your long-term punishment.”

“What the hell are you talking about, I never stole anything.”

“As far as I know” The king glared down at Corpse, “Plus, I recognize you, Corpse.” Something dark and unrecognizable flashed in Corpse's eyes, and it scared Sykkuno a little.

The way the king spoke sent a shiver down Sykkuno’s spine. He looked around, and caught Rae’s eye. She looked at him with worry. He wished he could talk to her.

Before he knew it, the two were being led to the dungeons. Luckily or unluckily, they were put in the same cell. As the guards walked away, Sykkuno looked around, eyes adjusting to the darkness.   
The space was damp, and smelled slightly of moss, and the cold fall air seeped in. He could only see a few cells, most of them empty. But two cells down, there was a dark figure hunched in a corner. 

He turned back to Corpse. “What do we do now?”

“Sy, I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. You don't deserve this.”

“I’d rather be here with you than watching you taken from me.” Sykkuno blushed, and to his surprise, Corpse pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“You’re too good for me.” The taller man pulled Sykkuno into his arms.

“Corpse?” Suddenly, there was a female voice calling from a few cells down. “Corpse, is that you? It’s me. Trinity.”

Corpse stood in shock. “Trinity,” He whispered.

“Trinity! Yes! It’s me!” he exclaimed, running to the edge of the cell. Sykkuno followed Corpse closely.

“You found me,” Trinity said, sounding teary.

“I never stopped looking. But I’m stuck here now too.” Corpse said sadly.

“No matter, I missed you so much.” Sykkuno saw a tear dripping down Corpse’s face as he stood silently. Somehow they had managed to find Trinity, despite everything.

“Now Corpse, you must introduce me to your boyfriend,” She said teasingly, leaning on the bars of her cell.

“Oh we’re not-um-I mean-I’m-” Corpse broke off, face growing pink. “My name is Sykkuno,” Sykkuno said, patting Corpse’s arm to settle him.

“Sykkuno. Thank you for taking care of him.” The two smiled at each other. 

Somehow, even in a dungeon, with Corpse by his side, Sykkuno managed to feel happy. He took Corpse’s hand and smiled up at him.

“We will all get through this,” he said, “I promise you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack! Sorry again for not updating yesterday, school work is kind of kicking my ass. That's what I get for not doing any over the first half of break though. (:
> 
> Anyway, TRINITY!
> 
> Much love and dungeons,  
> ~Rogue


	9. Featuring Rae to the Rescue and a Happily Ever After!

Corpse and Trinity talked for a while. He told her everything she had missed, from the king's new mandates, to the garden he grew, and so forth. Sykkuno sat there, listening just as intently as Trinity, because he knew so little about Corpse as it was.

Both men were sitting on the single bed in their cell, and Sykkuno was mindlessly petting Corpe’s hand, playing with his fingers and rings. They were very beautiful rings, and this was his first opportunity to see them close up. 

As Corpse reminisced about his time with his mother, Sykkuno looked up at him and then paused.

“Wait. Do you hear that?” He asked. There was a faint banging coming from above. All three of them rushed to the doors of their cells to peer towards the steps that led down to the dungeon. After a few minutes, the light of a torch appeared, quickly followed by none other than Captain Rae.

“Rae!” Sykkuno exclaimed

“Oh Sykkuno,” Rae called out to him, the sadness raw in her voice, “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for, you didn’t put us in here.”

“I didn’t stop it either. But now I’m here to make things right. A little birdie told me there is a tunnel that leads out of this dungeon and into the forest. I can let you out.” 

“Would you? You could lose your job!” Sykkuno exclaimed, concerned.

Rae looked at him, noting his hand cradling Corpse’s.

“As long as you introduce me to your boyfriend,” She smiled

“I like her already!” Trinity called from her cell. 

And with that, Rae unlocked both cells, letting all three prisoners out. She led the three of them to the end of the dungeon, and pulled a lopsided rock that opened a secret hatch. 

“You know this means you can never come back here?” She asked, handing Corpse the torch.

“We know,” Sykkuno said sadly, “I’ll miss you so much Rae.” He pulled her into a hug, and held back tears.

“I’ll miss you dearly. But you can write, and when you get settled, I’ll come to visit. Wherever that might be.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Sykkuno, I’m sorry, but we really need to go. And so does Rae.” Corpse ushered him towards the hatch.

“Take care of him please,” Rae met Corpse’s eyes “Or so help me I will find you and m a i m you.”

“I will. I promise.” And with the loving way Corpse looked at Sykkuno, Rae knew that he would. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

One Year Later~

They made it out. Rumor had it the king was looking for 3 treasonous prisoners, but it was unlikely they’d ever be found. Together, the three of them had built a cabin deep in the woods, far south from the kingdom. They lived near a meadow and a pond. Corpse grew a garden. Trinity raised animals. And Sykkuno?

Sykkuno was happy. He and Corpse had confessed their feelings to each other almost 6 months ago (with much encouragement from Trinity on both ends), and were, as it happened, madly in love. Trinity teased them ruthlessly for it, and so did Rae when she came to visit on weekends. 

At the moment, Sykkuno and Corpse were laying on a picnic blanket in the meadow, watching the clouds go by, holding hands.

“I never dreamed I could be this happy.” Corpse whispered.

“Me neither. I love you.” Sykkuno replied. And then, after a pause, he pulled the taller man to his feet. 

“What are you doing Sy?”

Sykkuno smiled at him shyly, and draped his arms around the taller man’s shoulders and gave him a kiss on the nose.

“Dance with me Corpse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap lovelies!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this story, I certainly loved writing it. Maybe some day I'll write a one-shot of corpsekkuno confessing their feelings, or maybe even Trinity's story! Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in, and I guess maybe keep an eye on my account?
> 
> In the mean time, thank you to everyone who has commented or left a kudos, it warms my heart. I call y'all lovelies for a reason I guess :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Much love,  
> ~Rogue


End file.
